canopy brake light install

I just picked up used canopy that fits my 2007 tacoma. I was wondering if anyone had pics of how they ran the wiring up to the canopy. I was hoping to avoid drilling the bed, and was going for a clean look when the top is off.

Also, if anyone knows a good place to splice 12V power for the dome light that would be nice too.

 

The dealer that installed mine spliced into the left rear brake light harness. Here's a pic of where it comes into the bed. They did not cut or drill anything, they just fished it thru one of the gaps. Power for the dome light is hooked up to the taillight wire, so it only works when the lights are on. It's a nice safety feature so you don't leave the cargo light on by mistake and kill the battery, but it's a little inconvenient. There's many times when I just want to turn the cargo light on when the lights are not on.

 

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd-gen-tacomas/13858-topper-mod-dome-light-power.html

This might help with your dome light.

Mike

 

Yeah I'm getting a bestop soft top here pretty soon and I will also look into wiring up something like this. Dark Knight told me it comes with a 3rd brake light since it blocks out your original one.

 

Green/red = brake light
green (right next to it) - works when parking lightsare on = dome light wire (you would have to go to battery for dome light on anytime make sure you use a fuse within a foot of the battery)
white/black = ground

There is a gap between the bedcaps and the bed (rear metal upright) large enough for 3 wires to fit. You can fish them out from inside the tailght.

For quick disconnect capabilities you will always have a connector there (so it will as clean as your imagination its just wires) . If you don't have a "quick disconnect just get a 4flat trailor harness loop and use it (they come in 48'' lengths).

I hope this helped.

 

Thanks everyone, this worked great. I still need pull power out to the dome light, but all the cables are fished and the 3rd brake light works great. I used a trailer flat 4 connector because it was cheap and it worked perfect.

 

Has anyone tried just using the BATT lead on the 7 PIN towing harness for 12V power in the bed? From my quick read of the schematic it looks like currently it's only hot if the ignition is on, but if you pull the BATT CHG relay and short pins 5 and 3, I think you now have a

$207 12V 30A DC to DC Charger with MPPT, On-Board Battery Charger for Gel, AGM, Flooded and Lithium Batteries, Using Multi-Stage Charging, Charger for Solar Panel and Alternator, in RV, Car, Marine

12V 30A source at the back of the pickup. This seems much easier than running wire all the way up to the battery and putting an inline fuse.

That also means that you don't need to leave your keys in the ignition if you want power at the trailer.

thoughts?

 

Not sure - my truck didn't have the tow package. Sounds like it would work. Pulling the wire was pretty easy, and it gives you constant power without the key in the ignition. Just make sure you don't leave the light on!

Mike